The controversial laws sponsored by the National Assembly and signed by President Ricardo Martinelli once again are bringing instability and anguish to Panamá. This time it is Colón Province that finds itself immersed in protests, vandalism and even gunfire.

The reason for this is Law 72, which permits the sale of land located in the tax free zone of Colón, the largest and oldest of Latin America. The law was approved in three sessions by a large majority of the Congressional members and signed the same day by the President, who at the moment is traveling in Japan.

Thus, on Monday, October 22, Colón Province found itself paralyzed and in constant confrontations between police and protestors. The blog OtraAmérica [es] relates:

Anacleto Ceballos, director of the Colón Chamber of Commerce, reported that the protests first thing in the morning to demand the suspension of Law 72 were peaceful, but after excessive police intervention, the atmosphere changed and now there are clashes in different parts of the city, where ongoing firearm blasts can be heard.

The law had already been rejected several times by both townspeople and businesspeople. Before the approval of the law, land was rented to various businesses, according an income to the state of around $33 million USD a year, reports Alba Tv [es]:

The rent for space in Colón's so-called “old town” today varies between 50 cents and $1.40 per square meter for multinational companies, who even have agreements with the government, zero taxes. The Panamanian government gets about $33 million USD a year in rent for the entire Free Zone of Colón.

The government's proposal is to sell this land and make $2 billion over twenty years, earning four times what it would earn during the same time in rents. But some Panamanians have doubts about the real reasons for selling the land.

Hopefully the same supersonic speed with which misgovernment has auctioned off our assets beating all records, will be used to solve the big problems facing the public, namely poverty and extreme poverty, the abysmal education system, lack of security, providing drinking water nationwide, the high cost of living and the diminishing family budget–all subjects at which it has failed.

For its part, the government insists that the sales are good and that it is looking out for Colón Province's best interests. President Ricardo Martinelli (@rmartinelli) [es] wrote on Twitter:

Cambio Democrático (Democratic Change), the political party in power, also said in its official blog Cambio Democratico 507 [es] that a government commission would travel to Colón to talk with the protestors:

After the Minister of the Presidency, Roberto Henríquez, had conversations with leaders of the Colón Chamber of Commerce and other provincial leaders, they agreed that a delegation from the national government would travel on the morning of Tuesday, October 23, to Colón to meet with representatives of the driving forces of the province.

However, so far the protests have continued, resulting in various injuries and arrests. La Prensa [es] reported:

During this morning's protests, agents of the National Police detained six people, while the attorney Edgar Ortíz reported that a resident from the outskirts of Colón was seriously injured, though it was unknown whether it was a stabbing or gunshot.

“Frente Amplio (Broad Front) for Colón says it will not negotiate with the national government–they ask for the repeal of Law 72″. Photo by Twitter user Rene M. Bellido (@renebellido)

Social networks have echoed the situation, above all calling for peace and dialogue on both sides. Milagro Rodriguez (@esMilagrosR) [es], a citizen of Colón, laments what is happening in the province: